John Cabot (known as Giovanni Caboto in
Italy) was a great Italian navigator and explorer. He was
probably born in Genoa, Italy around 1450, but he moved
to Venice and that is where he most likely learned to
sail.
In 1484, he moved again, this time to Bristol in England.
That's when he decided to call himself John Cabot, the
"English" version of his name. Like Columbus and others
of his time, Cabot believed that Asia could be reached by
sailing westward. Up until then, the only known way to
get to Asia was by going east. Some wealthy Englishmen
liked his ideas and paid for him to lead an westward
expedition to Asia. They were anxious to find an easier
and quicker way to bring back goods from Asia to trade in
Europe.
He made his first voyage to North America (which he
thought was Asia) in 1497. The ship was called the
Matthew and had a crew of 18 men. He sailed northwest,
through the stormy Atlantic Ocean, and eventually came to
North America. He sailed along the coast, past Labrador,
Newfoundland, and New England. He claimed the land he
found for England. King Henry VII was pleased with his
efforts and granted Cabot a pension of 20 pounds a
year.
In 1498, Cabot wanted to return to
find "Japan," so he organized another expedition. This
time, he took four or five ships and about 300 men and
left Bristol in June of 1498. No one knows for certain
what happened to this expedition, but it may have sailed
from Greenland southward towards Chesapeake Bay in North
America. Cabot had to return to England because he was
running out of supplies, and he died soon after
returning.
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